Demola Owoeye’s memories travel with him. Whether he is riding an escalator in a London Underground station or catching a train to Brighton, he has accepted them as his engineering companions. Sometimes, he will share these stories with his wife and young sons, who will remind him that they have already heard them. Other times, he will just relish an adventure that, in his words, has helped “keep London moving”.
Opening doors
Owoeye (49) will walk through Blackfriars station and remember a ‘Eureka!’ moment he and his team had at a nearby restaurant or pub after work. “Someone would say something, and we’d write it down on a piece of paper,” he recalls. “Then we’d go and sketch it up at the office.”
Maybe he will be near Angel station in Islington and a smile will appear as he remembers getting locked in a tunnel ventilation shaft. He had arrived there with a small survey team. They had collected the key from the station office, and were taking air flow measurements when they realised the shaft door had no inside handle. This was before mobile phones, and no one had the kind of tools to help them escape. Luckily, a colleague (who was running late) arrived about an hour later to frantic shouts of “don’t close that door!”
Ask Owoeye for engineering advice today, and he might just start with, “plan ahead – and never lock a door unless you can open it.”
When passing Goodge Street station, Owoeye might remember that mysterious door, in the deep level shelter, that didn’t appear on any of their drawings. And how one of the older engineers suggested it was likely part of the old Postal Service tunnels, or perhaps something even more interesting. They never did go down the stairs. Owoeye still wonders about it every now and then.
On the move
These memories are sprinkled across a long and remarkable engineering career, which led Owoeye to Transport for London (TfL). As the head of profession for building services engineering he leads a team of about 200 engineers, who draw up technical support plans, design upgrades and enable infrastructure change. The team handles everything from specifying equipment to safety, from heating a depot building to finding innovative ways to become more sustainable.
Born in London, Owoeye spent his childhood on the move. His father was a diplomat for the Nigerian foreign service and was assigned a new posting every four years. The family travelled between the UK, Nigeria, the Republic of Guinea and Austria. It was only when Owoeye got to secondary school that he was able to anchor down and spend time discovering his Nigerian roots.
London calling
One of four brothers, Owoeye began gravitating towards maths, physics and chemistry early on. His father wanted two things for his sons – to be independent, and to contribute to society. He imagined Owoeye would make a fine doctor, but life had other plans for his second oldest son.
Owoeye started university in Nigeria but constant lecturer strikes threatened his studies, so he decided to return to the UK, enrolling at Middlesex University London. His original plan was to study mechanical engineering and then transfer to finish a computer science degree. But the deeper he went, the more he realised he enjoyed mechanical engineering. He liked that you could learn core principles and apply them to solve real life problems.
Learning to lead
In the years that followed, Owoeye helped solve problems at some of London’s most iconic transport projects: from the extension of Terminal Five at Heathrow Airport to the Elizabeth Line (recently launched but decades in the making).
He worked at Mott MacDonald and Network Rail before moving to TfL. He started designing tunnel ventilation systems and, slowly, was carried by winds of experience and responsibility towards leadership.
Along the way, he moved from working on the early stages of large infrastructure projects to seeing major projects through from start to finish. By the time he worked on the London Blackfriars station (his favourite), he was leading the design of most of the building systems.
“I feel a great sense of satisfaction that I’ve been able to contribute to making things better for people,” he says.
Don’t forget to look up
Owoeye has been making things better at TfL too. He champions diversity, helps manage summer work placements, and has spoken at schools to inspire future generations of engineers.
“When you’re solving a problem, having multiple diverse views and experiences is always better,” he explains. “When I hire people, I always look for diversity of thought and training. And TfL really believes in this. We need to reflect the city we support.”
About six years ago, Owoeye initiated a new TfL apprenticeship scheme. The Level 6 building services apprentice scheme – which drives diversity and social mobility – now has 17 apprentices, with the first cohort completing the programme this year. Seeing these apprentices join his team as incorporated engineers fills Owoeye with pride.
“Sometimes, I feel like a mother hen,” he quips. “I tell them to always be open to learning new things.”
His advice is: “Enjoy what you do, but be aware of what’s around you. And every now and again… look up – there will be opportunities waiting for you to grab them.”
Has Owoeye lived up to his father’s wish for his sons to contribute meaningfully to society? “I’d like to think so,” he says.
To nominate an IMechE member making a difference, email profeng@thinkpublishing.co.uk.
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Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.